New approaches to branch security; by Lodewijk van Ommeren, Marketing Director of IP-alarms product company Chiron Security Communications.
In the UK retailers, banks and organisations with multiple branches have been quick to realise the benefits of IP-based alarm transmission and monitoring. The business case for IP is a sound one for all sizes of user but it is the most compelling for those with multiple premises to protect, or who want greater flexibility in remotely monitoring their premises.
Of course the recession has focused minds and now most other organisations are looking more closely at costs too. Like the big retailers they are concluding that the old approach of fixed PSTN line monitoring (such as Redcare) is becoming harder to defend.
On cost alone the case of IP is compelling. When you switch to alarms-over-IP you immediately save around £200 per year, per branch; if you dispense with your PSTN line and chose dual path signalling based on IP and GPM you’ll save significantly more. That’s just the start of the reduced costs: now add-in the savings derived from remote maintenance and reduced site visits. Security installers and monitoring centres specialising in IP-alarms can offer significantly cheaper maintenance contracts because their costs are much lower.
We’ve seen this with our larger retail customers, for whom the savings have been in the tens of thousands of pounds – and for the really big users the dividends are in the hundreds of thousands per year.
But cost savings are just the start. Many technology-literate users are already looking towards the next step, keen to unleash the opportunities which are clearly offered by IP. They want detailed reporting so they can analyse exactly what’s happening in individual premises or parts of their estate; they want to keep the total cost of ownership low and expect remote diagnostics and maintenance. Most of all they want to work with service providers who are as keen to be efficient and forward looking as they are.
IP alarms adoption
We are now pushing through the second stage of the IP market’s development, with smarter technology that is easier to install and use and offers many more advantages than just price – and retailers are in the lead when it comes to adopting that technology. If you are a retail head of security it has never been easier for you to specify, and get installed, the IP system that you want.
Specify right and you’ll get a system that will give you greater control, more management data and reports, be just as robust as the old fixed line, and will save you a lot of money every year.
